Wrench



- 1,455,423 C. P. BROWN WRENCH Filed March 23, 1922 I Z 7 I 76. Z. fi\l K 2 latented May. 15, 1923.

UNITED T COMMODORE r. BROWN, or nononvnnrn; wnsui vmernra.

WRENCH.

Application filed March as, 1922. Serial No. 545,975.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, COMMODORE P. BRO N,

' a citizen of the United States, residing at Ronceverte, in the county of Greenbrier and State of West Virginia, have invented a new and useful Wrench, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates particularly to that type of wrench in which a slidable jaw isutilized in connection with a sliding rack-catch,

for re-adjustment. By the utilization of my invention a comparatively inexpensive tool is provided that is simple in construction, composed of a minimum number of parts, and which may be assembled, or dismantled when required, without the necessity for using tools.

In the accompanying drawings I have 11- lustrated one comp ete example of the physical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined and arranged according to the best mode I have thus far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention.

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a wrench embodying my invention, in unlocked position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged, detail view, partly in section, showing the parts in locked position.

Figure 3 is a front edge view of the sliding frame and jaw showing a guide groove or slot in the frame.

Figure 4 is a detail view, looking at the edge of the cam and its lever.

Figure 5 is a similar view looking at the side of the cam and lever.

Figure 6 is a veiw of the rack catch, showing also its spring.

In the preferred form of the invention as shown in the drawings the shank 1 is provided with a rack and fixed head 2 as. usual, and the wood handle 3 is secured at the end of the shank by the end nut 4.

The hollow frame 5 is fashioned with the movable jaw 6 complementary to the fixed jaw 2, and the integral frame 5 and its jaw 6 are slidable on the shank toward or away from the fixed usual manner. At the lower end of the frame 5 an inwardly curved extension is formed with two spaced horns 7, 7 between which is fashioned an arcuate guide slot 8 that is open at its lower end, and within thehollow frame just above the curved extension are provided a pair of spaced lugs 9,9 projecting inwardly from the side walls of the frame and located at the lower open end of the frame. The inner curved faces 10, 10 of the horns? are formed as cam faces, and near the extremities of the horns complementary shoulders 11, 11 areprovided p The movable'jaw is slidable' and adjustable on the shank 1 and is held in lockedposition through the medium of rack catch 12. This rack catch is fashioned as a block with rack teeth to engage the rack on the shank, and is carried by the hollow-jawframe. On its face opposite the teeth therack catch is fashioned with a concave cam face 13, disposed opposite to the cam face 10 of the horns 7, and a lug or shoulder 14 on the rack catch is adapted to abut against the shoulder or lug 11 on the horns to limit lateral movement of the rack catch. The lower end of the rack catch rests and is slid-' able on the extremity of the two horns, and

jaw, for adjustment in the the rack catch is movable between the shank and horns, but limited at one side by the shank, and at the other side by theshoulders 11 of the horns.

At its upper end the rack catch is fashioned with a socket to receive the end of a curved leaf spring 15, which projects up into the frame and is fixed to the rack catch in such position as to frictionally engage the edge of the shank when the rack catch is held in locked position; In Figure 2 the spring is in close engagement with the teeth a of the shank, but when the catch is released, the spring, duejto its resiliency, will force,

the catch away from the shank, the lower end of thespring being'guided by the two lugs 9, 9 and the end of the catch block sliding on the extremity of the horns 7.

The rack catch is forcedinto engagement with the teeth of the shank by turning the. cam locking key .16 which is interposed between the {cam face 13 of the rack catch and the cam fa es 10 of the two horns 7 The key is fashioned with oppositely disposed convex cam faces 17 and 18 to co-act respectively with the concave faces 13 and guide slot 8 of the frame.

the: rack catch and horns. the thumb against the projecting end fofthe lever the key is turned and the movement and the key is rotatable with an arc of about ninety degrees. An operating lever 19, Which is comparatively short and adapted to be manipulated by the thumb, projects from the key and is positioned Within'the The lever, which is thus retained in the guide slot, holds the key in operative position against endwise movement, and the key is confined between By pressure of of the lever is guided by the walls of the slot 8. Q v v In Figure 1 the lever 19' is turned tonnlocked position, By turning the lever down, arallel, or approximately parallel with the shank, the rack catch is forced into engagementwith the teeth of the shank asseen in Figure 2, and the jaw 6 is thus held in rigid relationship with thefixed aw 2. The rack catch is forced to locked position against the tension of the spring 15 so that, when the lever 18 turned to unlockedposit-ion to free the rack catch, the spring forces the catch from fengagementwith the shank.

the catch. The spring is now released and draws the catch to inoperatiye position, holding the key as in Figure 1. To dismantle th tool this operation is reversed. Thus the constructionand operation of the several parts of the wrench-are simplified, the assembly and dismantling of the elements of the tool may bequickly accomplished, and the movable parts are retained I in their operative relationship for facile" manipulation.

The several parts of p v the locking key, may with facility be man the tool, including ufactured and finished, as ina milling ma-f 1 chine, thus insuring a close and accurate fitting of the co-operating parts, and permitting quantity production of the tool. I

From the above description taken inconnection with .my drawings it will be apparcut that I haveprovided a simple, but efii cient device for performing its required; functions and which fulfills the purposes and objects of my'invention,.

, Having thus fully describedmy invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is i The combination witha-shank and f xedjaw, of a slida'ble jawzand frame, a bifurcated extension on said frame having/an inner cam face, a spring pressed sliding catch havinga complementary camface' and; retained within the "frame, a, key located: between said camfaces, cam faces on opp-or site sides of said keyfor engagement with the first mentioned cam faces, anda leverlon the key guided in the bifurcated extension.

COMMODORE P. "BROWN. 

